In the early morning of April 4, the security camera system at the gate of Huoi Mot Ethnic Minority Boarding School (PTDTBT) recorded an adult wild elephant crossing the national highway. After that, the elephant broke the steel fence and entered the student dormitory area.
At this time, boarding school officials and teachers quickly announced and asked students to stay in the room. Students were reminded to maintain order and avoid provoking the animal. Thanks to timely handling, all students were safe and no casualties occurred.
Teacher Tran Dinh Chien, Huoi Mot Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School said: "At about 5:14 am on April 4, a very large elephant broke the fence into the boarding area. It walked around the school for a while, then the elephant broke the fence behind and went up the hill. Fortunately, the boarding teacher discovered it early and promptly warned students, so there were no casualties.
According to records, the elephant only appeared in the school grounds for about 10 minutes and then left. The incident did not cause casualties but damaged some fence items, and the risk of unsafety for students is still present.
Not only in schools, recently wild elephants have continuously appeared in Keo village and neighboring areas. Many areas of crops and people's property have been damaged.
Mr. Lo Van Vinh, Secretary of the Party cell, Head of Keo village, Huoi Mot commune, said: "Recently, elephants have regularly descended to the village, destroying rice, corn, cassava and even village huts of the people. Each time they appear, they cause quite large damage, we have propagated to people not to approach, and immediately report to the authorities when elephants are discovered.
Ms. Lo Thi Thoai, a resident of Keo village, said that in just the past week, her family had many areas of rice and crops in the fields damaged by elephants. "I went to visit the fields on the hill and saw that the elephant's footprints were very large, it passed by and damaged the fields and destroyed the shack twice. Now we have to chop bamboo and get grass to rebuild the shack," Ms. Thoai said.
According to local authorities, this is a solitary elephant, often moving back and forth between Huoi Mot, Chieng Khoong, Song Ma communes and the area across the Lao border. During the food scarcity season, elephants tend to approach residential areas to find food.
Mr. Luong Van Vinh, Chairman of Huoi Mot Commune People's Committee, informed: "The elephant individual is old and moves complicatedly between the Vietnamese and Lao borders. trapping or relocating them to the conservation area is very difficult, so it cannot be implemented yet.
Faced with the above situation, local authorities are strengthening propaganda and guiding people on how to prevent it. When elephants are detected, people should not approach, film, or take pictures. People need to limit going into deep forests, avoid going out in the early morning and at night.
The appearance of wild elephants in school grounds and walking on national highways near people's houses is considered a "red alert" for safety. Schools in the area have strengthened semi-boarding duty and equipped students with response skills.
In the long term, functional agencies believe that fundamental solutions are needed. Conservation of habitats, buffer zone planning and monitoring of elephant movements are necessary. The goal is to reduce conflicts between humans and wild animals, ensure safety for people and protect rare elephants.
